Police permitted the protest, citing freedom of speech, after a court overturned a ban on a similar burning of the Muslim holy book.Įrdogan criticized Sweden last week for allowing the protest. A Quran-burning protest, at which the media vastly outnumbered the participants, outside a mosque in Stockholm has fueled tensions. NATO officials expect that Hungary will follow suit once Turkey lifts its objections.Īt a European Union summit last week, Kristersson said he had spoken twice to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and “both times he has confirmed that Hungary will not delay.” Hungary is also holding up approval of Sweden’s candidacy, but has never clearly stated publicly what its concerns are. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, who described Thursday's meeting as “very positive,” said that the court sentencing “is very important indeed, because it shows that we take the security of those who have concerns with the PKK activities very seriously.” It's unclear whether the Swedish court action would have any impact on Erdogan's thinking. It was the first time that a Swedish court sentenced someone for terrorist financing of the party, Judge Mans Wigen said.Īlso known as PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party has waged an insurgency in southeast Turkey since 1984 and is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The Stockholm District Court sentenced Yahya Güngör to a total of 4½ years in prison for the crimes, after which he would be expelled from Sweden and banned from returning. In a new development just before the meeting, a Turkish man was found guilty in Sweden of attempted aggravated extortion, weapons possession and attempted terrorist financing, saying he was acting on behalf of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party. He also lamented a series of demonstrations that have taken place in Sweden.
“However, the legislative changes now need to be reflected in practice,” he said. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan acknowledged the changes in Sweden’s anti-terrorism laws and the lifting of arms restrictions.
NATO requires the unanimous approval of all 31 members to expand. Sweden has changed its constitution, modified anti-terror laws and lifted an arms embargo on Turkey, among other concessions.īut Turkey accuses Sweden of being too lenient toward groups that Ankara says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish groups and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt.
The other 29 allies, Stoltenberg and Sweden have all said the country has done enough to satisfy Turkey’s demands. Only Turkey and Hungary have delayed Sweden’s membership. Fearing for their security, Sweden and neighboring Finland ended their longstanding policy of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and applied to join NATO.
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